I Won . . .

Hello Friends!

. . . a £20.00 Amazon gift voucher!

On a page I follow on Facebook they asked the following:

So….at its most basic level - how do you “winter”? Do you do anything in particular to keep yourself feeling brighter at this darker time of the year?

Here's my reply:

I don't think of myself as enjoying winter yet somehow it is my most self pampering season. I withdraw, like the year, as if preparing in hibernation to blossom the following spring. I complain loudly how much I loathe the darker days, the longer nights, and the clocks changing, but then I dance for joy on the Winter Solstice and celebrate the returning of the light. My cottage becomes a cocoon of comfort, with blankets and throws, scented candles, hot chocolate and mince pies, fresh picked greenery decorates my door and vases, books wait their turn on the table by my easy chair in front of the fire and I prepare to indulge as I recharge and restore my aching body.

I feel like I've won a Pulitzer Prize!

Anyone who knows me will know that this is me, not some romanticised, inspired scrivening in a vain effort to win a voucher, but really and truly me.   It's how I roll.  It is my true being.

At one time, I would have declared it my favourite season, but in recent years this changed to reflect my love of Autumn.  Now, my thoughts change again and I find beauty in each season in turn.  Having Parkinson's also impacts as it changes what I can appreciate, or how I appreciate it.

As the days close in and night falls earlier with the passing days, so the candles appear in greater numbers.  I have loads of tea light holders and my favourite tea lights to burn are these Prices Sentinel 8 hour tea lights.  

They burn cleanly, no sooting, and burn for at least 8 hours.  They can be put out and they relight well, unlike many that once extinguished that's it.  I recall the original version of these "nightlights" when I was a child.  I had one in my room every night and for safety they came in a cardboard outer which was placed to burn in a shallow dish of water!

They are very useful for tabletop food warmers to keep food and drink warmer for longer in the winter when temperatures drop quickly.

I recently found these even bigger, longer burning ones

I

I think I might spend my voucher on this

I like the brand, and they are a fraction of the price of Yankee Candles at around 30% less!  Additionally, they are a British company, established in 1830 {although they went into receivership in 2003 and were bought out by an Italian company} and they hold a Royal Warrant.

On the other hand, I need a corner punch for my latest crafty makes, blog following in a few days.  Oh! I have choices, and choices is not a good thing for a Libran to face.

Other things that bring me comfort in the months of hibernation are plates of delicious home made food and treats

A bowl of nourishing, warming soup

A yummy cake

A bowl of porridge topped with fresh homemade cranberry almond relish

A mug of  Spiced White Chocolate with Pumpkin

Bara Brith and Butter

Irish Soda Bread

A Chocolate Brownie

and my newest love, a gift received this week for a belated birthday present, a tall tin of Fortnum & Mason's Toffolossus biscuts!  They are scrumdiddliumptious!

There are stacks of books aplenty in my cottage, some like this one a charity shop find!

or a stack of interesting titles

Some of my favourite blankets

A parcel in the post!  Beautifully packed . . . 

A favourite pair of socks

Pinecones and candles

A comfortable armchair

the list goes on!

of course, I used to go out gardening and walking, but no longer, however I shall shortly share some of my library of winter photographs which I know you will enjoy!

How do you survive winter?

Until next time

Stay Well

Debbie x

Top of the Pops

Hello Friends!

I don't know how much longer I will be able to type. It really is an effort now but I intend to keep going as long as I can. Good days, bad days, and they can't find the balance needed in my medication. I have an appointment to see the doctor in February. I found out he is a general doctor not a neurological specialist. If I see him in February, it will be 16 months since my last appointment. This, my friends, is the state of our NHS, once the envy of the world.

Anyhoo, all day long I've been encountering messages from the Universe nudging me with little reminders of my favourite things. I think she's trying to get me to focus on something positive, given all the events of recent days, so I have drawn up my Top Ten Favourite Things List. In no particular order:

Bees

Lavender

Umbels

Sunflowers

Fungi

Pumpkins

Starry skies

Moonlight

Dandelions

Raindrops

As I was going along, I realised there are so many more favourite things I could have included but will save that for another gloomy day!

Until next time

Keep swimming!

Debbie xx

November

The month when Autumn brings all her glorious colours to the table, the last hurrah before we slumber through the Winter that is yet to be.  The bright and vibrant reds and yellows and oranges we see across the forests in the trees are echoed in the colours of birth month flowers of chrysanthemums, the rich yellow birthstone topaz, the burning embers of the fires we light to keep us warm . . . everything is painted in warm colours, as if we need reminding of the cold blue that will soon be upon us.

Until next time

Stay safe, stay well, stay warm

Debbie x

Halloween

Happy Hallowe'en

Noson Galan Gaeaf

Samhain Blessings 

The Hunter's Moon

Hello Friends!

Last night, October 17th saw the sky filled with the full Hunter's Moon which also happened to be one of four supermoons in 2024.

The name Hunter's Moon is applied to the full moon that falls during the month of October and was so named because the month of October was generally spent hunting meat and preserving it for the coming months of winter that lay ahead.  Hunter's Moon originates from the Anglo Saxons but prevails in other cultures under different names such as Freezing Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, or Seed Fall Moon.

Last night's full moon was also a supermoon meaning the moon was in very close proximity to Earth and appeared up to 30% bigger and brighter in the sky.  It coincides with the high Spring Tides and storm force winds of up to 75mph or greater anticipated, so there is bound to be localized flooding and damage with the ensuing tidal surges.

Thank you everyone for your wishes over my finger which is healing well, and I've been able to start doing a little crocheting again, with care.

Until next time, 

Stay safe, stay well

Debbie xx

Then There Was Blood

Hello Friends!

I've been at a standstill for a few days having stupidly sliced open the top of my middle finger with a very sharp blade.  It was one of those stupid things that can, and often does, happen to anyone.  As with most incidents involving sharp implements and fingers, there was blood.  The first thing I had to do was stop the bleeding before I could even think about opening the First Aid Kit one handed!  Once the bleeding stopped, I sterilized the cut with Tea Tree oil and covered it with a dressing, mainly to protect it from reopening. A day later I was happy to remove the dressing, but it brought a sharp halt to my crafting and making of things.  After all, I didn't want to reopen the cut and get blood on my makes!

As I mentioned earlier, I've just taught myself to crochet and am making a poncho, which was coming along nicely until the cutting of my finger.  I've just about finished up the first ball, the poncho is now about 6" deep.  One ball down, two to go!  It's taking an eternity, and the weather is getting colder and I want to wear it!

Last night, the film adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was on.  It's okay, but not a patch on the book.  I won't say anything more unless you're waiting to either view or read.

Since I last wrote, I've had both my seasonal 'flu and Covid vaccinations, ten days apart.  It's worrying to read the rate at which the new variant of Covid is spreading and already putting strain on the NHS with hospital admissions.  Time to start wearing a mask again, I do think.

Until next time

Stay safe, stay well

Debbie xx

End Of An Era

Hello Friends!

Why do I get so emotional and who would have thought that a simple job of ordering a repeat prescription would have seen me end up a snivelling heap of tears?

Pass the tissues, it's the end of an era.

I don't think anyone can remember a time when we didn't have a General Practitioner, aka a doctor, in the City.  I recall my mother speaking of Dr. Elliot who cared for her since she was a child, and I remember my first GP, Dr George Middleton, who administered care for me and countless many others over several decades.  I was one of the first babies born shortly after he and his own family moved to St Davids to give many years of service to the community as our only GP.  Since his retirement we've been served by many GP's including Drs Hamilton, Grimshaw, Sheldon, Van Kempen, Ferguson, Kauschinger, and Riley to name but a few.

How the Practice has grown with the NHS and changing needs of the community.  Back in the day, we had one GP and one District Nurse, who between them cared for everyone 24/7.  If you got taken ill "out of hours" you telephoned the doctor at his home and he came out regardless of the time, day or night.  We had an ambulance kept in the village, also on call 24/7.  A far cry from today when you wait hours for an ambulance to arrive and it is quicker to drive yourself to the closest A&E Department.

There was no such thing as booking an appointment with a receptionist.  If you wanted to see the Doctor you simply showed up at the Surgery, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. or between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and took your turn.  Going to the doctor was a social event!  We crammed into the tiny waiting room with fourteen chairs and waited for the ♪♪ding dong ♪♪ of the bell announcing Next Patient Please.  A mother with a crying baby or toddler was always invited to go in first!  A pile of magazines sat on a table in the middle of the room, but they mostly remained unread as we all chatted amicably, it was a good place to get all the latest local news!

The District Nurse, Nurse Davies, could be seen cycling her way around the district, come rain or shine, to get from patient to patient for the housebound. Always in uniform, topped with a Gabardine raincoat, nothing stopped this indomitable force from visiting her patients.  In later years she drove a Morris Minor.  She would be in attendance at the Surgery to assist with dressings, stitches, phlebotomy, and other jobs during opening hours.  She worked alone, a far cry from today with multiple Practice Nurses present for a multitude of tasks and clinics.

Then came the days of the receptionist.  The first one I remember was Mrs Catherine Simpson, a lovely lady, totally in charge, she tolerated no nonsense!  Her job was to pull patient notes for the doctor and pass them through a tiny hatch into the consulting room, as well as other general duties.  Her "office" was no bigger than a broom cupboard, which with it's west facing aspect became a furnace in the summer evenings, a far cry from today with a team of receptionists on duty all day long, operating state of the art computers with an endless list of duties and jobs from ordering repeat prescriptions, booking appointments, organising tests, and so much more.  Nowadays, there is even a Practice Manager.  An entire company of workers!

These days it is appointment only and since the Pandemic many appointments are telephone consultations.  My, how things have changed.

When my mother went into labour with me, it was Nurse Davies who was called, and it was she who bundled my mother into her car to whisk her off to the nearest hospital maternity unit, with the message to my grandmother, "if the baby arrives in Newgale, we'll just turn around and come back home!"

When, aged just six weeks old, I was very ill with a bronchial infection, it was Doctor Middleton who attended to me several times a day and gave  my mother the advice, support and care needed to bring me back to the healthy, bouncing baby I became.

When my grandmother died unexpectedly in the early hours of a cold and sombre March morning, it was Doctor Middleton who was  at her bedside within ten minutes of us telephoning him.  He took care of everything efficiently, sympathetically, and professionally, making things as easy as he could for my mother.

Similar stories could be told by every household in the area. 

And now the Surgery is closing its doors for good.  It is a sad day.  I won't go into the whys or the wherefores, or the politics, or rumours that abound, it is happening and despite our protest marches and meetings, the good fight we fought against the bureaucrats of the NHS, the decision is made and will not be undone.  We are being transferred to another surgery in the next village over.  Things will never be the same.  The impact on our tiny community is colossal.

On Monday morning, I telephoned my monthly repeat prescription into the surgery that has served me and others so well for so long, for the last time.  I could not hold back the tears as I spoke to the lovely, kind receptionist on the phone. Jackie is a friend now, and I could hear her voice cracking too.  Next time it will be a different voice, a stranger who takes my request.  

Within a few weeks this old way of doing things will become history.  Children will grow up not knowing what a "house call" is, or what it is like to sit and wait your turn.  This way, the old way, it will be forgotten and become lost in the mists of time, fading slowly from memory until but a whisper, then gone forever.

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all the doctors, nurses, receptionists and support staff who have cared for me , my family, and countless others over the years, their presence in the City will be sorely missed.

It is the end of an era.

Until next time

Stay safe, stay well

Debbie xx